At match point in a tiebreaking third set, Kylie Liu (12) readjusted her grip on her racket, preparing to receive a serve from her six-year-long rival, a Level 2 United States Tennis Association (USTA) championship on the line. Fumbling the match-winning point only a minute earlier, Liu prepared herself for her opponent’s serve. Feeling her nerves set in, Liu focused on keeping her spirits high and adjusting her gameplay to the Hawaiian atmosphere density and altitude. Adapting to both her surroundings and her opponent, she executed a first-place win in singles and later, a second in doubles at the USTA National Level 2 18U Tournament in Waipahu, Hawaii, Oct. 18-20.

Only 32 players who register for the tournament qualify. Being previously ranked 230th in the nation, Liu’s performance at the tournament elevated her to 88th, her strengths being tested in her singles finals match.

“My most exciting and stressful [match] was the finals because I played a girl that I’ve been playing since I was 12 years old,” Liu said. “We’ve always had really tough battles, but for the last few matches she’s always won, and this time I finally beat her.”

 To come out on top, Liu said she had to block out her opponent’s attempts to get in her head, which included cheating accusations and taunting.

“[The win] was a lot about my mentality because I lost the first set, so I had to fight back after losing,” she said. “My opponent plays a lot of mental games and psychological games, so I had to brush them all off and just continue pushing through. I go through routines between points and in between games that really help me calm down. I’ve been really focusing on my mental strength, so I’m just glad it ended up paying off.”

Liu said her mentality was a major contributing factor to her success.

“I was down 4-0, but then I ended up turning the match around and won the first set 6-4 and then the second set 6-3,” Liu said. “I focused on my mental [game] a lot and also [focused] on just making balls in the court because I wasn’t really playing my best, so I had to adjust.”

Part of the mental battle that Liu experienced came with playing in a new environment. Not only do the high altitudes and thinner atmosphere affect the players, but they also affect the speed of the ball. 

“I definitely had to adapt a lot, because the climate in Hawaii is different, so the balls go faster, so it’s harder to time your balls,” Liu said. “It was challenging [to play] with the heat and the humidity, and because the atmosphere is thinner, the ball travels faster, which is a lot different from in San Diego. In San Diego, you have more time to set your feet and hit the ball, so I felt pretty rushed in Hawaii, so I had to adjust a lot.”

Participating in tournaments since she was 7, Liu has fine-tuned her serve and her ability to read and modify her strategy to her opponents’ playstyle, which helped push her to first-and second-place wins.

“My serve is pretty good, and I’m pretty aggressive as well, so I really focused on just keeping the points short and moving my opponents around, which really helped,” Liu said. “[Even in doubles], I feel like we can win with my service game pretty easily, because I have such a big serve, so it sets my partner up at the net really well.”

Liu and her doubles partner secured a second-place win due to their connection and constant positivity, which they’ve been building for over a year. 

“We try to stay positive, especially when the other person makes mistakes, so that we don’t get too down on the court,” Liu said. “We definitely hype each other up, and we hang out outside of tennis, too, which really builds our chemistry. I also like doubles more [than singles], because tennis is a pretty lonely sport, so when you’re playing doubles, you have more of a team, and you have someone else to rely on.”

While Liu and her partner lost their final doubles match, she said they were both very proud of their gameplay.

“I wasn’t upset [with the outcome] because [our opponents] were a better team than us, and I was just happy that we made it that far,” Liu said.

Liu’s performance in Hawaii was vital to her collegiate tennis career. Committed to play Division I tennis at Dartmouth, Liu needs to excel in tournaments to increase her Universal Tennis Ranking (UTR) to play higher in Dartmouth’s lineup. To reach her desired UTR, Liu has been working on her technique.

“Footwork and movement are big [focus] areas for me, and right now my coach and I are really working on ‘up and back movement,’ especially, and just getting to the ball quicker so I can plant my feet and have more balance when I’m hitting,” Liu said. “I was super relieved after I committed, and I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to even talk to coaches and have the option to decide where I want to go. Now, [I’m working] towards a higher position on the team.”

Overall, Liu said she was satisfied with her play and her ability to adapt.

“I definitely had to adjust a lot, but I was glad with how I played with how I adjusted and my mentality through it all,” Liu said.